


Two Worlds: Betrayal

by madameHunterr



Series: Two Worlds (A Prototype Fanfic Series) [2]
Category: Prototype (Video Games)
Genre: Alex Mercer - Freeform, Betrayal, Drama, F/M, Fanfiction, Games, Hurt/Comfort, OC, Robert Cross - Freeform, Romance, prototype - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 04:09:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13022940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madameHunterr/pseuds/madameHunterr
Summary: Sequence 2. Alex Mercer and Jessi-Lynn Adams continue to live their lives in as much peace as possible, but fate may have other plans for the two. Alex/OC Cross/OC [Warning: contains Language, Violence and Sexuality.] Rated: MA





	1. Chapter 1

****If you haven't read the first part of this FanFiction Series,** **_Two Worlds: Torn Apart_ ** **, I urge you to do so ****

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**2003...** _

"Congratulations, Alex!" everyone chimed as Alex approached them, Doctorate in hand.

"Thanks..."

"What's wrong?" Jessi asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Just hard to believe it finished so quickly."

"Shouldn't you be glad it's over?" Wesley asked, receiving a punch from Dana.

"Alex, you excelled at your studies; you've earned this. How many people do you know that graduate from a seven to eight year course in only six?"

"Nobody but you can pull that off, bro." Kane complimented the man.

Alex smirked a bit, "Yeah, you're right."

"Come on, babe." Jessi said, gesturing for them to leave and Alex threw his arm over her.

"Where are we going to eat, again?" Leighton asked.

"A restaurant." Griffon replied nonchalantly.

"I got that much." he spat back.

"It's an Italian restaurant, really good food." Jessi reminded him.

Everyone headed to their homes, agreeing to meet up at the restaurant at seven o'clock that evening.

Alex was proud of himself for graduating so quickly, but he wasn't sure what to do next or where to go. Jessi assured him that he'll find a great job, but he should be relaxing right now. As if Alex could ever 'relax'. He always worried about something, and it didn't help that he got anxious and quite upset rather easily as the years went by. He formed a temper, and it wasn't very difficult to deal with, but it unnerved Jessi at points. He even got irritated about being left handed, complaining about pen ink smudging on his hands when he wrote down something or any other right-handed object he used. Getting upset to the point where he even asked her for her gun one time when he struggled to open a can of ravioli.

Once the dinner was over, everybody returned to their homes. Dana went to bed, being exhausted from excitement and over-eating. Alex and Jessi stayed up late, enjoying the time alone.

* * *

"You know..." Alex muttered suddenly as he held Jessi in his arms, his thumb lightly massaging her shoulder.

"Hmm?" she hummed as she looked at him, a small smile forming across her face from seeing him lying next to her with his arms wrapped around her body.

"Everything's been going great."

"It has been." Jessi said with the same smile and kissed him.

"There's only one thing missing, though."

"What's that?"

Alex turned to her and kissed her deeply, "You mean everything to me, Jess. You've been there for me for all of these years, putting up with my shit. I love you. I love _everything_ about you. I love your beauty, the way you smile and laugh, the way you complain, the way you struggle to reach the top shelf in the kitchen." he began, receiving a glare for the last comment, "But...I love who _you_ are. I love your personality, all the quirks included. I love your strengths and weaknesses. I love your courageousness and generosity toward others. I love the way you stand up for what you believe in. I love that you don't take crap from people..."

"Are you okay, Alex?" Jessi asked, concerned and unused to him being so open about his feelings.

"Jess, what I'm trying to say is, I'm in love with you...I always have been and I always will be."

"I'm in love with you too, baby. You know that." she said as her hand caressed his jaw, smiling and blushing before leaning in to kiss him.

"I lost you once...I don't ever want to lose you again." he said, standing up and pulling her up with him.

"You won't, Alex. I promise." she reassured him, a slight worry coming over her.

He grabbed a small box that was sitting on his nightstand. She hadn't even noticed it. He got down on one knee and opened the box, revealing a beautiful and simple diamond ring. Jessi covered the shocked expression on her face with her hands.

"Jessi-Lynn Adams...will you make me the happiest man in this world and be mine, forever?"

She stared wide-eyed at Alex, speechless for several seconds, "A-Alex..."

"I know I can't provide very much right now. But once I'm working, I'll be able to—"

Jessi swiftly leaned down and kissed him deeply, holding his face in her hands. "Yes. Yes! Oh my God, yes!"

"I love you, Jess." he said with a huge smile across his face.

"I love you so much, Alex." she said excitedly.

They sat on the bed and he held her hand, slipping the ring on to her finger.

"It's so beautiful." she said, lost in the significant item.

"So are you, babe."

She pulled him down to the bed with her; wrapping her arms around him, kissing him over and over again...

_It was always supposed to be me..._

* * *

Dana was the first to hear of the couples' engagement and they wasted no time in letting their other friends know of the big news. Of course, they got teased about marriage life and kids by the already-married couple and parents, Kane and Griffon. The thought of having children made the two blush as if they were still giddy high school kids. Perhaps they would have a family one day, but they weren't thinking about that right now. They just became engaged and the marriage ahead of them is what they were looking forward to.

Cross wasn't happy about Jessi becoming engaged to the man, of course, but he didn't let it show. He simply hugged her and congratulated her, cursing himself for letting her go. Still, she was happy with Alex, and that's what mattered to him. He wished he knew more about the young man, to ease his own worries that she might get hurt; but he knew that wasn't his place. A part of him wished he wasn't so crazy about the young woman, but a part of him wouldn't have it any other way. It ached him to see her progress in her relationship with someone else when he knew it could have been him. It was an inner battle that he refused to neither win nor lose. He just wanted to be close to her; keep an eye on her and make sure nothing ever happened to her. All that mattered was her happiness.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A few months later...** _

"Mister Mercer." A tall, slender man called out as he approached him.

"Sir." Alex stood up and shook the man's hand.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, I'm Doctor Raymond McMullen. This way, please." the man said, gesturing forward.

The two walked to an office and the man closed the door. "Please, have a seat." he offered and Alex did so.

"Have you brought the requested documents?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir." Alex said, pulling them out of his briefcase and handing them to the man.

The man asked Alex multiple questions, but the young man never faltered to answer each and every one with ease and near-perfection.

He stayed silent as he looked over the papers for a brief moment, looking up at Alex afterward. "Here at Gentek, we carry out multiple experiments pertaining to the genetic makeup of specimens from various origins. I've requested to speak to you about the possibility of you working for us. You're an intelligent young man, Alex. Your aptitude for Science is outstanding, but I'm quite sure that you already know this. You have something extraordinary locked in that brain of yours. Gentek could use you for amazing discoveries."

"Thank you, Sir."

"If you accept this offer, which does not come often and would not come around for you again, you specifically, will be working on a developing project. I cannot give too many details at the moment, but I hope you think about this chance and what it can do for you. You will go far, Alex, but at Gentek, you could do wonders that nobody else can."

"I feel honoured, Sir."

"You receive full benefits, as well as a starting annual salary of ninety-thousand."

Alex almost choked. "N-Ninety-thousand?"

"Yes."

"That's an amazing offer, Sir...I'll take it."

"Pardon?"

"I'll take the job. An offer like this is so hard to come across, I don't want to take the chance and lose it."

He smirked, gathering the papers on his desk and handing them back to Alex as he stood up. Alex put his papers in his briefcase and stood to meet the man.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Alex. I will contact you to discuss your schedule." he said, extending his hand out.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, once again." Alex said gratefully.

The man walked him to the elevator and said goodbye. Alex tried to stay as calm as possible on his way home, eager to tell Jessi and Dana of the news. He couldn't believe that an organization like that would actually contact him and offer such a fantastic job. He wondered what work he'd be doing, but he'd find out soon enough.

* * *

When he got home, he called Jessi and Dana out from their rooms and sat them on the couch, Sparkle joining them.

"What's the matter, baby?" Jessi asked with worry painted across her face.

"I swear, I didn't do it." Dana said.

Alex glanced at Dana, "We'll discuss whatever you're speaking about later."

"God damn it." she muttered under her breath.

"Okay, listen..." he started and the two gave him their full attention. "I was called by a man named Raymond McMullen a couple days ago, asked me to visit his office."

"Alright." Jessi said, urging him to continue, ignoring the name he mentioned.

Alex took a deep breath. "...I got a job."

"Oh my god!" Jessi piped up and jumped toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. "Baby, that's amazing!"

Alex smiled and hugged her.

"Does this mean I get a raise now?"

"Do I look like I'm made out of money?"

"Not yet." she smiled.

"Go to your room, child." he ordered her, receiving a _huff_ from the girl as she did so.

Alex turned to his fiancée, kissing her. "I love you so much, babe."

"I love you so much too, baby." she said, clinging on to his arm and kissed him once again, "Would you care to join me for a bubble bath?"

"I'd love to."

They set the bath and got in once they deemed it ready, sitting on opposite ends of the tub. This wasn't an unusual occurrence for them. They found this a rather relaxing method of having alone time that wasn't in the bedroom, accompanied by a glass of wine or a beer.

This time, however, Jessi seemed to be lost in her own world. She stared at nothing in particular, indicating she was indeed thinking about something. But what really made Alex know that something was wrong was that she had her thumb wedged between her teeth.

"You okay, Jess?" Alex asked.

She smiled and looked up at him, "Of course, babe."

"Just making sure. You seem preoccupied." he mentioned, extending his hand to her. She accepted and was pulled over to his side, cuddling with him.

She stayed silent, arm wrapped around him, still lost in thought. Alex stayed quiet, too, waiting for her to tell him what was on her mind if she decided to.

"Well..." she suddenly spoke up.

"Well?"

"Myles died..."

"I'm sorry to hear that." he gave his condolences, not expecting her to utter those words.

"It's alright...both of them gone, now. Jacob and I are the only ones left."

Her other brother, Christian, had died during the ' _9_ / _11 Bombing_ '. He'd been close by and once he saw the explosion, rushed inside to helped others get out safely. He, unfortunately, couldn't save himself.

"How did Myles...?"

"He was overseas on deployment, that's all I know." she explained.

Myles was deployed to Afghanistan in order to fight in the "Global War on Terrorism _",_ which was a result of the bombing of the Twin Towers.

Alex hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek, "You gonna talk to your father more often?"

"No. He's been in my life far more than I'm comfortable with. What kind of father sticks his children in such a dangerous career like that?"

"I don't know, babe. You're safe now that you're doing your own job, though." he reassured her.

"I'm still in the military."

"I thought you weren't anymore."

"I am, just in a different faction. Why do you think I have a gun?"

"Carry and conceal?" he defended, shrugging a bit, "Is it as dangerous?" he asked.

"I can't say anything, Alex. You know that."

"You can't tell me if it's less or more dangerous than being in the Marines?"

"It's perspective, it could be looked at as more dangerous, but I don't do very much either."

"I see."

It bothered her that she couldn't even mention the connection between her work and his new career. Blackwatch watched over Gentek, that's all she knew, really. There were so many files that were above her clearance despite being such a respected and highly skilled Captain.

_When we hunt, we kill. No one is safe. Nothing is sacred. We are Blackwatch. We are the last line of defense. We will burn our own to hold the red line; it is the last line to ever hold._

The foundation of her occupation stood in those words. The Blackwatch Organization was a Black Ops Military Force. They were responsible for containing any biohazardous or viral outbreaks. Her job was much, much more dangerous than the U.S. Marines. She couldn't tell him that, as much as she wanted to share every part of her life with her fiancé. She would just have to live with watching over him from a distance.

_What a coincidence, though...our jobs being so closely linked..._

"Let's go to bed, baby." Alex suggested, snapping her out of her thoughts. She obliged, getting out of the tub with him and draining the water.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A Couple Years Later...** _

Alex was transcendent in his career. He and a group of scientists, which he lead, had managed to synthesize a virus strain. It was then named ' _Blacklight',_ and it quickly became it's own project in entirety.

He was proud of their work. This work could possibly, and hopefully, be the cure to various global diseases like cancer. He would often come home ecstatic and go on and on about his amazing work to Jessi. He didn't get the reaction he hoped for, though. It was mostly a "That's wonderful", or a "Really now?" Eventually, he stopped telling her anything at all, and they began to slowly falling apart. He stayed wrapped up in his work and she stayed wrapped up in hers.

She continued trying to find out what McMullen was _really_ after. She couldn't, however, find a damn clue of what his true goal was, or why he was so interested in this substance. She confronted Cross multiple times, asking, and eventually begging, for help in her endeavor for information. He refused time and time again, sticking with "We can lose our jobs". She didn't even understand _why_ she was one of three leaders, yet she was so left in the dark about Blackwatch and Gentek.

She may have to find out more information through Alex. Maybe she would visit him at his work, bring him some food at the office. He stayed at work so many hours into the night sometimes, she worried if he even ate, knowing how involved he could get in his research. Besides, she hadn't been very close to him lately. Even the intimacy was losing its touch. Maybe this gesture would bring them a little closer. Perhaps, she could get him to try starting a family with her again. They both wanted it for a while now, but work was always getting in the way and their effort yielded nothing. If she just took the time to speak to him and explain to him that she really wanted to make them becoming a family together possible, he might agree rather than it ending up as a fight like it usually seemed to.

"Good evening, I'm here to see Doctor Mercer." she said, showing her Blackwatch Clearance Card.

"Of course, Miss Adams." she secretary said, a nervous expression showing.

"I'm his fiancée, I just wanted to bring him some food." she comforted the woman.

"Very well, He may be in the offices on the forty-ninth floor."she gave a relieved smile.

"Thank you."

She proceeded to the elevators and once in, pressed '49'. Her mind raced through what questions she could ask him without giving him too much information about her reasoning behind it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe she should go home and try again to convince Cross. Yet, her feet carried her quietly through the deserted hallway of glass windows signifying offices. There were names on every office door, names of other Scientists; coming across one which read 'Karen Parker'. The lights were on in that one, but nobody was in it. She saw movement of a shadow against the wall in an office and went closer. It was Alex's office, but upon further inspection of the shadows, he wasn't alone...

She peeped through the window, wishing she hadn't and just gone home like she was planning to back in the elevator. She wanted to go home and be oblivious to what was before her eyes right now. She wanted it all to be unseen once again. Ignorance was undoubtedly bliss, and it was all she wanted back.

He was with another woman, having sex with her right in that office. His head nestled into her neck, and she could see his hands gripping her with so much force. She could see the pleasured expression on the woman's face as he made love to her and she was glad that she couldn't see the expression he must have had.

She dropped the food, causing the two to stop and look over, but she was already running down the hallway back to the elevator.

Alex fixed his clothing and opened the door to see the packaged Chinese food on the floor.

_Fuck. No, no, no..._

He gathered his belongings and rushed to the elevator. Seeing that it stopped on the ground floor, he got into the other one and followed. By the time he got there, he could only be told that it was indeed his fiancée and she ran out to the parking lot. He had to go home and talk to her. He had to think of a reason for his actions; anything he could say to make her stay with him. Even if he felt no remorse for what he'd been doing with his coworker behind his fiancée's back.

* * *

He stood in front of the apartment door, unsure of whether to go in. Was she waiting for him? She could have such a horrible temper when she was angry and could easily floor him in a physical fight. He opened the door and crept in.

"Jess?" he called out, but no response. Sparkle came trotting toward him, so he knew she was here. A small whimper erupted from the dog and he bent down, trying to ease her tension.

He heard something break and went to their room, cautiously opening the door only to have something hurled at him. He dodged the item, hearing it shatter behind him, looking to see an enraged Jessi hyperventilating.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"Jess—"

" _DON'T!_ I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT, ALEX!"

"I know."

"HOW COULD YOU?! WAS I NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?!" she screamed, tears falling from her eyes. She dropped to the floor, holding her face in her hands. "I love you...I'm your fiancée...it was supposed to be us..."

"Babe, I'm—"

"I don't want to hear it..." she cut him off, not caring for his excuses.

"Things were just...we just..." he tried, but he couldn't find the words for his false apology.

"Fell apart, I know. It's my fault, isn't it? I couldn't make you happy or please you enough..." she stated. It had to have been her fault. She had to not be good enough for him to do such a horrendous act behind her back. 

"It's not that, it's—"

"What, Alex?! I didn't suck your cock good enough?! I didn't fuck you as often as you wanted?! I couldn't give you a child?! What?!" she screamed, searching for the answer, any answer.

"Jess..." he muttered, but never continued the sentence. He didn't have a reason for what he'd done.

"We're over, Alex..." she said in defeat.

"Don't go." It was a statement rather than a request.

"You don't care, Alex. I'm not stupid. I know you. You're a narcissistic, self-righteous motherfucker. I know you. I know how you disregard everything. I've known all along. I put up with it because I love you. But _this_...this was the last thing I could take." she explained.

"Jessi, _don't_ leave." he said sternly, blocking her way, adamant to keep her with him.

"Let me go..." she ordered.

" _No._ " he said more sternly, standing his ground in her way.

"Alex...move out of the way, please..." cried, hitting his chest in an impulsive and ineffective manner.

"I _won't_ lose you. I won't lose the life we have." he practically growled out through gritted teeth. 

"...you already have." she said gently after several silent moments.

She wasn't going to stay. He knew that. What was he even trying to make her stay for? Perhaps it was just part of the act he instinctively had to show to make her think he had some form of regret for his actions. Why should he regret what he'd done? She barely paid any attention to him, he needed that and he found it in Karen Parker. He moved out of the way and she walked lifelessly out of the door with Sparkle, closing it behind her.

But it was the woman he fell in love with all those years ago walking out the door. It was the woman who'd done everything she possibly could to be with him, even defied her father; the General at Fort Hamilton.It was the woman who he made his fiancée when he finally had the chance. It was the woman who he was going to spend the rest of his life with. It was the woman who was trying to give him a child. Even though every test came back negative, she tried her damned best to give him what he wanted. She was always good at that, sacrificing what she wanted for his happiness. It was _that_ woman who he just let walk out the door.

" _FUCK!"_ he screamed and punched the wall, his fist going right through it, chest heaving in anger.


	4. Chapter 4

Sleepily walking to the door, Cross opened it to see Jessi standing there, not saying a word, only crying.

"Jess? What's wrong?" he asked, but got no response. The only thing she did was wrap her arms around him, crying into his shirt. He was taken aback by the contact, but held her for several moments, his heart breaking with every second that passed as he heard the pain in her cry. "What happened, Jess?"

What should she tell him? How could she bring the words of this horror out? That she caught her fiancé sleeping with another woman, seeming more passionate about the affair than he ever was with her...

"He..." she managed out before she fell to the floor, crying more. Cross picked her up and carried her to the sofa, sitting down and placing her next to him so that she leant over into his arms. He let her cry it out, waiting to hear the words that, in his mind, would dictate Alex's life continuing.

" _I'll fucking kill him..."_ he made it clear to her, but got no response.

She cried in his arms, tears soaking his shirt. How could he do something, whatever it may be, so horrible to such a beautiful, intelligent, independent young woman like her? He held her to his chest, trying to calm her down. He didn't have all the answers and knew there was no way that he possibly could. She looked at him, her cheeks covered in tears before she buried her face in his chest once again. Even when she cried, she was beautiful.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that, listening to the woman he loved cry over her fiancé. But, he stayed. He ran his fingers through her hair, drying her tears, holding her face in his hands. He was crazy about her. He loved her more and more every day. Now here she was, in his arms...but not in the circumstances he would have liked, or the situation he'd dreamt of time and time again.

"Cross..."

"Yes?" he asked, wiping her tears away with his hand.

She sat up more, looking at Cross before leaning in and pressing her lips against his; placing her hands on either side of his face.

She wanted revenge. She wanted to get back at Alex for the horrible wrong he did to her. She wanted to get back at him for fooling her for God knows how long, pretending that everything was okay between them when he was sleeping with somebody else. Pretending to be satisfied with what he was getting from her because he was getting it from someone else as well.

Cross wrapped his arms around her and pulling her closer to him, kissing her back passionately as she shifted to straddle him. He continued kissing her, allowing her to slip her tongue between his lips. His arms tightened around her for a moment, before moving his hands to settle on her hips, feeling her move against his erection ever so slightly. His hand began moving up to her breast, but before he could take a hold of it, he held her hands, taking them off of his face and holding her away, "I can't..."

"Why?" she asked, her voice cracking from the sudden rejection.

"Because..." he said, looking away from her beautiful eyes, "This isn't right..."

"I'm not with Alex anymore." she contemplated.

"I get that, but I can't let you do something you'll regret tomorrow."

"I won't regret it." she pleaded, begging him with her eyes.

"Jessi...you're hurt. You aren't thinking clearly." he said, looking away. He wasn't strong enough to reject her with her looking at him like that.

"Yes, I am...if he can fuck someone else, why can't I?" she reasoned.

"Because this isn't who _you_ are. You're better than that." he encouraged her.

She stood up hands on her hips and eyebrows knitted, "You're telling me that after all these years of staring at me, you're not going to sleep with me?" she asked hotly.

"I'm not going to sleep with you." he stated sternly.

"Why?"

"Because I love you, alright?" he stated.

She looked at him with surprise, "What?"

"You know I do, Jess. I always have. I love you and because I do, I can't let you use me for your own self-destruction. As much as I want to be with you, I love you too much to take advantage of the situation."

She straddled him once more, placing soft kisses on his neck and he placed his hands on either side of her hips, "I want you, Cross." she whispered in his ear. She felt his erection twitch underneath her and knew he felt the same way.

"No, Jess...please...don't do this to me."

"Cross..."

"Please..." he begged her to stop.

She stayed silent, tears running down her face. "Fine." she said softly, getting off of him and silently walking out the door.

He sat there for a few seconds.

_Are you really going to let her leave? Are you going to throw away this opportunity? Are you going to let her drive in the mindset she's in right now?_

Walking out to her car, she heard him call out to her, turning around only to have his arms wrap around her and be kissed by him.

The kiss was long and deep before he pulled away, holding her face in his hands gently, "I won't sleep with you...but stay with me for the night. Please?"

"I caught him...I saw him sleeping in another woman. A woman who wasn't _me..."_

"He doesn't deserve you." he stated, picking her up bridal-style once again and carrying her inside his home.

"This wouldn't have happened to me if I stayed with you." she acknowledged, looking at the man.

"Don't think like that, Jess. We weren't meant to be together." he said simply as he walked into his bedroom and laid her down on his bed, covering her with the blanket and getting in with her.

"Then why do you love me if we weren't meant to be together?" she asked, her voice cracking. Was she meant to be alone for the rest of her life?

He placed his hand on her cheek gently, "Have you seen yourself? Have you seen how amazing you are? How strong and courageous you are? How beautiful you are? I can't list all of the things that make me so attracted to you. All I can tell you is that every aspect that makes you _you_...is why I love you so much." he confessed.

"Cross..." she whispered, tears filling her eyes and her voice cracking.

"We weren't meant to be together, but that doesn't mean that I couldn't watch over you for all of these years and admire you from a distance." he finished, pulling her in closer and kissing her repeatedly, never letting her out of his arms.

_You fool..._


	5. Chapter 5

Jessi returned to the apartment the next day with a rental truck to gather whatever belongings she had and took them to the lake house, where she had left Sparkle before deciding to visit Cross. She was grateful that Cross didn't take advantage of his chance to be with her and she couldn't help but admire him even more for that, especially after he confessed the deep feelings he harboured for her.

Alex hadn't pleaded with Jessi to stay with him, knowing that she was not the type to give him another chance after such a thing so soon. All he could tell her as she left was that she'd be back with a smirk on his face. He knew that she couldn't resist him forever.

The months went by and as hard as it was for her, she continued on with her life without Alex in the picture. Working for Blackwatch, she never let her personal problems get in the way of her career. She was a fantastic employee, never letting them down. This didn't change the fact that he was constantly on her mind, that night replaying in her head over and over again like a broken record. After all the years they'd spent together, after doing everything she possibly could to rectify her father's attempt at ruining her life for his own benefit just to be with Alex again, after putting a ring on her finger, after trying time and time again to have a family of their own...he turned around and did that to her. She knew he was only human, though his almost sociopathic tendencies had her questioning just how 'human' he really was. Thinking back to who he was when she first met him and who he was when she left him, she would never think it was the same person. The change was so drastic, but she couldn't see it when she was by his side, only until she removed herself from his presence.

Alex continued his work and continued seeing Karen, whom he made his girlfriend. He never forgot Jessi, and never moved Karen in. He continued his work, keeping Karen out of his office when the lights went out for some time as it brought back memories of that night. He did, of course, get over it. Jessi was just a simple woman who passed through his life. Yes, he loved her, but that faded easily for him. What mattered more than anything was his work. Karen meant nothing, she was just a woman he could frequent. Why should he feel bad for what he did? What he wanted was most important and that's all there was to it.

Dana wasn't even speaking to him anymore once she found out about the idiotic decision he'd made and continued on with her schooling overseas without communication between them, but stayed in touch with Jessi. She found it hard to believe that after seeing her brother lose himself over this woman, he would turn and hurt her in one of the worst ways possible. The man Jessi described to her didn't even sound like the Alex she knew and grew up with. Jessi didn't even seem believing of the words coming out of her mouth when she explained it to Dana.

Soon enough, it was Christmas, and she spent it with her friends, but returned to Cross' place once everyone left to give him his present. They weren't sleeping together, but it was established that there was something between them. Something that she couldn't deny after all those years. They decided to leave it as they can't fraternize, so it was just company. There were, of course, occasions that they ended up making out on the sofa or fooling around in the bedroom. But it never went too far, and that was a good thing. Cross knew that her heart belonged to Alex and it would take a long time for her to heal from the hurt he'd caused her.

* * *

_**New Year's Eve..** _

_Am I making the right decision?_

It wasn't too late to turn back. The last time she'd tried to surprise him, her whole world was torn away from her. Still, she knocked on the door and waited.

_So, it happens again..._

He opened the door and stood there, watching her. "Jess..." he muttered, having a hard time believing that he would ever see her again after waiting for so long.

"Hi, Alex..." was all she said. She wasn't sure what else she could have said in that moment.

What should he say? That he's sorry? It would be a lie, of course, but it might get her to open up to him again. Maybe she moved on from him. Then again, maybe not. She wouldn't be standing in front of him if she'd moved on. Besides, he knew that she was crazy about him. Just like he said, she would be back.

"You look amazing." he complimented her.

"You look like you've been doing very well yourself." she returned the gesture.

"Uh..." he started, looking behind him and then back at her, "Would you like to come in?" he offered, pointing behind him with his thumb.

"Sure, I won't be here for long. I don't want to bother you."

"You never bother me, Jess." he said, a smirk forming across his face when she walked past him and into the apartment.

She stepped into the home, seeing that it looked the same as when she left. Even the hole in the wall was never sealed up. She turned to Alex, who was still standing closer to the door, putting his cell phone onto the table next to him.

"I just came by to give you the ring..."

"What?" he asked, unsure if she was being serious.

"Our engagement ring...I came to give it back to you." she elaborated.

"That ring is yours. It serves no purpose to me." he said nonchalantly.

"Well...I don't know, re-size it and give it to that whore." she suggested coldly with a smile.

"Karen and I aren't serious. I don't love her."

"Is that why you're alone tonight?" she asked, an eyebrow quirked in curiosity.

"I was going out, but there's been a change of plans." he smirked, putting his hand into the pocket of his jeans.

"I see. Well, I'll leave the ring here." she said, placing it on his desk by his computers, "and I'll be going, now."

"Jess."

"Yes, Alex?" she responded, turning around.

"Stay for a while. Have a glass of wine with me. We should talk." he offered.

"There's nothing to talk about. You made your mistakes and I made mine. I have to be somewhere anyway."

"You don't have to be anywhere." he said in a matter-of-fact like tone.

"What?" she asked, hardly surprised by his arrogance.

"You wouldn't make plans after something like this. You'd go home and drink your wine and have your cigarettes while you listen to music."

"You think you know me that well, huh? Alright then, I'll stay." she said, resting her purse on the floor and taking a seat on the sofa.

Alex got a couple of glasses and a bottle of her favourite wine from the cabinet, coming back to the living room and setting them on the table. He poured the dark liquid into the elegant glass and gave it to her, sitting down next to her after pouring his own.

They cheered and took a sip, him watching her lips as she savoured the taste of the wine.

"How have things been with you?" she asked.

"Things have been great. Still working, a lot of progress."

"That's good to hear. I'm glad for you." she gave a genuine comment.

"How's work been for you?"

"Fantastic." she said simply, looking at her glass and taking a sip as she looked around.

"Are you seeing anyone?" he asked, taking a gulp from his wine, awaiting the answer.

"Not really, no."

"What is 'not really'?"

"No, I'm not. I've just been working." she explained.

"Good." he said, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

"Yeah..."

The conversation got less and less awkward with every sip they took and eventually, they'd seem to have forgotten that they weren't on speaking terms. But she had to go home eventually. She did have plans, she'd promised Cross to meet him before midnight hit. Maybe tonight would be the night she took her relationship with Cross to the next level. She had enough alcohol in her, but wasn't drunk.

"I miss this, Alex. I won't deny it."

"I miss it too, Jess. When we used to have bubble baths, cuddle in the water and just talk."

 _He remembers..._ "I have to get going now." she said, unwilling to remember their past any longer.

"You okay to drive?"

"I'll be fine." she smiled, getting up and grabbing her purse.

Alex walked her to the door, opening it for her, "Take care, Jess."

"You too, Alex." she said, hugging him. "Oh, and Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year to you, too." he mumbled, looking into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Would she ever see him again after this?

 _No...don't..._ she told herself as he lifted his hands to hold her face.

But how could she stop herself? How could she say 'no' to the man she spent so many years with? The man that she was going to marry, the man that was going to be her husband until the day she died. She put her hand on his, lost in his eyes as he leaned closer, pressing his lips against hers. She missed this feeling. She never forgot how his lips felt on hers, or how secure she felt in his arms.

She looked at him as their lips parted, only for her to wrap her arms around him and pull him into another kiss, closing the apartment door as he pressed her against the wall. His hands explored her body tenderly—the body he knew every inch of like the back of his hand.

They kissed passionately as they made their way to his bedroom, never separating from each other as their clothes came off piece by piece until it was just them once more; a rekindled passion that she thought would never surface again.

He lowered her on to the bed, his lips still on hers as he gently rubbed her clitoris in circles with his thumb, a satisfying moan erupting from her throat before he slid a finger into her entrance. She bit his lip softly in response before he lowered his head and kissed her neck as he used another finger, curving them within her. A mischievous smirk formed across his lips as she lowered her head to the bed, closing her eyes tightly. He loved seeing her like this. He loved seeing her so open and vulnerable to him. To every move he made to coax out her desires of feeling his body pressed against hers; of feeling him inside of her.

He removed his fingers, gripping her hips as he rolled over, having her straddle him. She leant down, kissing his soft lips before allowing herself to slide on to his erection and he moaned upon feeling her tight walls around him, feeling her wetness on his shaft. She began moving up and down on him, eyes never leaving his as he helped her move harder and faster.

"Alex..." she moaned out followed by a sharp, high-pitched breath.

She was close to her climax and he knew that. He forced her down on to his erection, moving her hips forward and backward and she picked up the movements on her own, her head tilted back as she ground against him, her pace increasing.

"Alex..." she moaned again in a higher pitch, her climax approaching.

"Come for me, Jessi..." he groaned out in a low, sensual tone as he encouraged her, moving his hips up to force himself deep into her as he looked at her naked body on top of him.

Her climax hit her hard, becoming entranced in the tingling and numbing sensation. He watched her as she continued grinding against him, her pace beginning to slow down. He flipped her over, eyes locked on to hers as he began pushing into her gently but deeply, her hands finding his shoulders as she moaned his name in response.

She lifted her lips to capture his once more, her hand moving to run her fingers through his soft, curly hair. She missed his hair. She missed lying down with him at night, fingers twirling around a curl that stuck up as he fell asleep. She missed feeling his soft lips on hers, feeling his tongue dance with hers.

He caressed her breast with his hand as he started deeper thrusts, nestling his head into her shoulder, "Jess..." he whispered into her ear, causing her to gasp. He always knew what to say to heighten her pleasure from all the years they'd spent together. "I love you, babe..."

Her eyes widened. He didn't see it, but he knew her; he could tell by the sharp, short breath she inhaled from his words. He could tell by the way her walls tightened around his erection.

"A-Alex..." she choked out, trying not to let her emotions overwhelm her.

He moved his head to look into her eyes, "I've missed you..." he admitted, still grinding his hips against her.

"I miss you more than words can express, Alex..." she whispered, tears stinging her eyes as she looked into his.

He wiped a stray tear away with his thumb, leaning down to kiss her once more, "Come back to me, Jess..." he whispered against her lips, thrusting into her harder and faster.

She gasped at the intense pleasure, sinking her nails into his skin. "I-I...can't..."

"Be with me again, Jessi." he tried again, grinding his hips against hers, "You need me." he informed her, lowering his lips to her ears while his hand snaked up to grip her throat while he continued thrusting into her, "You can't live without me." he growled out, the tone in his voice becoming sinister, "You belong to me..."

The tears flowed down the sides of her eyes. She wanted to be with him more than anything, but she knew that she would never forgive herself if she got into a relationship with him again. She would never be able to trust him after what he'd done. What kind of relationship would it be if there was no trust?

She stayed silent, eyes locked on to his as she ran her fingers through his hair, pressing his head toward her to capture his lips with hers in a deep, passionate kiss. "Just...make love to me, Alex..." she whispered, her voice shaking, "because we will never meet again after tonight..."


	6. Chapter 6

Jessi came in to work and for the first time, seemed to let her personal life affect her performance. Cross watched her carefully throughout the day. It was clear that her mind was elsewhere. He was also curious as to why she hadn't spoken a single word to him, nor had been given an explanation as to why she never showed up for New Year's celebration.

She felt guilty as ever. Here she was, trying to make a new life for herself and have a relationship with Cross, a man more than worthy of being loved, but ended up right back into Alex's hands. She had feelings for Cross, deep feelings. She wanted to make their relationship official. Yet, she reopened a chapter in her life she wanted to close. Where would she even stand with Alex now? She went from leaving him for being with another woman to becoming _the other woman_. She felt horrible about herself. She felt like a hypocrite.

How could she undo, in one simple night, everything she worked to accomplish throughout the past several months? How stupid could she have possibly been to think that this would somehow be okay? She knew that it was over. Things would never be the same again. They could _never_ be the same again.

"Hey there." Cross said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck while she went through paperwork in her office.

"Hey." she whispered.

"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly, "You've been silent all day."

She stayed that way, trying to evade the question.

"Jess."

"I fucked up, okay?" she blurted out her confession, turning to face him, "I fucked up _really_ bad."

"What did you do?" he asked, the tone in his voice changing suddenly to one of deep concern.

"Cross..." she said softly, turning to him.

"Jess...what did you do?" he asked anxiously.

"I..." she began, taking a deep breath, "...I slept with Alex."

Cross felt a ting of pain upon hearing those words, "Jess..."

"I'm sorry! I was just going to return the ring and come to your place, but he asked me to stay for a drink and when I was going to leave—" she paced around for a couple seconds, "Everything that I've worked _so_ hard to get over, I just went and—" she couldn't finish her sentence, her voice cracking, "It was absolutely horrible. I don't know who that man is. He is _not_ the Alex I fought so hard to keep all those years ago...the things he said to me..."

"I don't want to hear any more." he said gently, the hurt distinct in his voice, but moreover was trying to keep his anger hidden.

"I don't want to breathe anymore..." she said, walking to leave the office.

"Jess." he called after her.

"Yeah?" she replied, taking a step toward him.

He stood over her, looking into her eyes, "Nothing has changed for me. I still love you." he spoke softly before leaning down and giving her a kiss.

"Cross..."

"Things happen, and you're still doing great despite how you feel right now. Don't look down on yourself because of one decision. We all make mistakes. We're only human, right?"

"Right..."

* * *

They tried their best to continue their relationship and Jessi tried her best to forget the encounter she had with Alex. It was traumatizing for her, to say the least. She never expected Alex to act like that, much less say the horrific things he did while in bed with her.

She hadn't heard from him since and she couldn't be more grateful for that. All they wanted was to move on in her life and establish a great relationship with a man who was more than deserving of being loved. She felt so lucky to have someone so understanding in her life. Cross was her strength when she felt like she didn't have any.

Cross and Jessi had finally secured their relationship and it was wonderful to be in an accord with someone that she took the time to become close with, understand and know on a deeper level over the years instead of jumping into a relationship suddenly.

She knew now that it wasn't the best decision she'd ever made. But, she was also young and, despite being so hurt in the process, she didn't regret a single moment spent with Alex. A part of her would always love him, she would never try to deny that. But she accepted that it was time to move on and live her life.

* * *

"W-what?" Alex stuttered.

"You heard me."

"But...how?"

"That's what happens when we're not careful, Alex..."

"So let me get this straight…" he said, taking a deep breath. " _You"_ , he pointed to her, "are having a baby?"

"No. _We_ ," she said, pointing back and forth between them, "are having a baby."

"…was I there for this?"

"Obviously…" she scoffed.

"How are you so sure that it's mine?" he asked. Perhaps it was a mistake and it wasn't his at all.

"I was already pregnant by then."

"Jess..."

"You can't back out of this, Alex." she said in an irate tone, crossing her arms.

"I wasn't planning to. I just...with you and I working all the time, how are we going to be able to take responsibility? We aren't even in a relationship, we don't even speak to each other."

"I don't know, Alex. All I know is that what's done is done and we have to live with the consequences."

His hands tangled in his dark, curly hair as he took a deep breath and exhaled, letting his arms fall down to his sides, "Terminate the pregnancy."

"What?! Out of the fucking question!" she completely rejected his suggestion.

"I can't raise a child with having to work all the time and I'm not ready to be a parent, nor do I want to be. This wouldn't have happened if you took the right precautions."

"The answer is _no_ , Alex! I'm not going to kill my child simply because you don't want to grow the fuck up and live with your actions and how could you possibly blame me for your own failure to ensure this wouldn't happen, too?"

"Why is your answer 'no'? It wasn't 'no' on New Year's Eve." he said callously, a smirk on his face as he remembered what had occurred.

She stared at him in disbelief, "I was also _drinking_. Things got a bit emotional and we were having a great time, and...I don't know. I don't know...it was just a stupid mistake. It will never happen again, believe me. It was never my intention to do so in the first place."

"What about your career? Whatever the hell it is you do, anyway."

"I'll have to take some time off when he or she is born. Perhaps get Griffon and Kane to watch them when I go back to work, since they work at home."

"And you're willing to live like that, rather than end it and go on freely like nothing happened?"

"It's not that simple, you sick fuck. This is _your child_ that you're talking about. You're a Geneticist, you should know the significance of a life!" she informed him.

"Well I don't wanna be trapped with a fucking kid, alright?! I just wanted to fuck you, that was all."

"Don't talk about trapped, okay?! _I'm_ the one who has to carry them for nine months, and give birth to them, and feed them, and raise them! All I wanted to do was give you back that stupid fucking ring and move on with my life. But you just had to get your way, didn't you?!"

"Always."

"I hate you."

Alex gave out a sinister chuckle, "No, you don't."

" _Goodbye, Alex._ " she growled out, turning to leave.

"When is it due?"

"Around mid-September." she answered as she turned around.

He took a deep breath, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

"A family...like we wanted, just not the way it was supposed to be." she stated simply.

"What will you do?"

"Work as much as I can, of course. I've always worked, I wouldn't stop because of a child. It's probably going to be harder to work with Cross now, but it is what it is."

" _Cross?_ You mean, the guy you were supposed to be married to?"

"Yes, him."

"Since when were you working with him?"

"Since I was eighteen."

"And why am I _now_ finding out about this?"

"I didn't think it was important to mention, I guess. Back then, he was just a person I would be working with. I didn't associate him very much at work with what we'd gone through. I was raised to not mix my personal life with my work life."

"That doesn't make any sense to me."

"That's fine. It doesn't have to and it's none of your concern now."

"The _fuck_ it isn't. What does he have to do with us having a child?"

"Because he's very close to me and I care immensely about him."

"You're with him, aren't you?" he asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Yes."

"Does he know?"

"I thought you should have been the first to know, since it's your child."

Alex paced around his apartment. What was he going to do? He wasn't even close to ready to be a father. He was only going to be twenty-seven in a few months. Jessi was even younger. How could he be there for a child when he's always working? Would he even be allowed to see him or her?

"Alex?" she called out, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I'm not ready for this." he said as if it was that easy.

"What makes you think I am?!" she snapped unexpectedly, "I'm _twenty-four_! I'm young, ambitious, always at work. What makes you think that I even want a baby, and with _you_ of all people?!"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?! I can provide for the child!"

"The point is you can't commit to _anything_ that doesn't involve your work. Maybe that's why Karen works so well for you. You can fuck her right there in the office!"

"Look, I don't have time for this bullshit, alright? I have to go to work."

" _Exactly_ what I'm talking about. You know what? I'm not dealing with this. I'm not. I'm not going to subject myself to dealing with _you_ for the next eighteen years."

"What does that mean?" he asked, watching her as she quickly changed her demeanor.

"I don't know, Alex. I just...it wasn't supposed to be like this. _We_ weren't supposed to be this way. We were supposed to be married and have our careers, have our children when we were ready...but that ship has sailed for us."

He said nothing. _Typical Alex_. She rolled her eyes, "I'll talk to you later." she said, turning to leave.

"Wait..." Alex stopped her.

"What?" she answered in an irritated tone.

"Keep me updated, and we should go shopping. Y'know, get cribs and shit for here and your place."

She was surprised at his request. It was only minutes ago that he was asking her to abort the child. Maybe he was accepting it. She smiled and kissed him back, walking out the door and closing it behind her.

Alex stood there in the living room, hands in his hair and still processing the shock of his life.

_I'm going to be a father...that wasn't part of the fucking plan..._

He could help but smirk after some thought, _Well...she'll never leave now..._


	7. Chapter 7

Cross was _not_ thrilled of the news, to say the least. He'd watched her, wanting her for himself for so many years, finally had her; only to find out that she was pregnant for that prick. They couldn't just move on, no. He could never have his way for once. Now here she was, pregnant for a man who broke her heart and scared out of her damn mind. What could he do? What should he do?

He never left her side. He was always with her when he could be, spoiling her in some way, any way that he could. He stayed away when it came to appointments, due to Alex being there and didn't want to take the chance of going into a fit of rage and end up killing the man.

What was she doing? She was destroying her life. Why would she allow something like that to happen to her? Why would she put herself in such a position? She was twenty-four and going to be the mother of a child for a man that hurt her immensely. She was being so fucking stupid. He wanted her to get rid of it, of course, but never voiced that. She had such an amazing career and was finally letting go, just to be dragged back in to his grasp once again. How many times would he have to watch her suffer and cry over this moron?

And why was he _so_ angry? She was a grown woman and made her decisions. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was completely and utterly in love with her. He wanted her to be with _him_. Marry _him._ Have a family with _him._ Not that arrogant asshole.

That bastard destroyed her. He was a sociopath and Cross was sure that she was aware of it. Alex's file in Blackwatch described him just as such, only confirmed when Jessi told him what happened on New Year's Eve. He only wanted to sleep with her and when he got tired of it, he moved on to the next woman who would open his legs for him. Dating the other woman, he still took advantage of a situation. Now she was to be a mother because of it. She deserved better than the shit he had her put up with. She deserved better than to see him pumping it into another woman in the office when she only wanted to make sure he was eating properly. She deserved better than to be tricked into sleeping with him when she wanted to cut off all ties. Now he'd never leave her life. She was stuck, putting up with him for the next eighteen years, probably even longer than that.

He lost her again to him. At least he knew that she trusted him. At least she knew that she could always count on him to comfort her and stand by her side, no matter what life threw at her. He always loved her, and always would. He would never stop taking every opportunity he could to let her know just how much she meant to him...

Alex told Karen and they broke up, but remained fairly close for the sake of him being able to get sex if he wanted it. He continued with his work and rearranged his room to better suit the coming arrival. He still couldn't believe that _he,_ of all people, was going to be a father. He knew he wasn't ready for it, but he also knew that he got what he'd wanted, in a way, nothing else really mattered. All that mattered was that he won. She would never leave his life now, whether she hated him or not.

* * *

_**September 17th, 2006...** _

Riley Morgan Mercer sounded her first cry. Crystal-like, icy-blue eyes. Lips pink like roses. Peachy cheeks, like her mother and black hair, like her father.

She was _their_ daughter. This beautiful baby girl, created from the slight chance that Jessi decided to return the engagement ring.

Alex cried tears of joy and disbelief that such a beautiful creation could ever be possible as he held her tiny body in his arms, her small hands wrapping around his finger. He knew she was going to be beautiful, just look at her mother. He couldn't put into words just how _perfect_ she really was or how captivated he was by his baby girl. Her gaze pierced through him. Her smile overwhelmed his heart. She filled whatever gap was in his life. Riley Morgan Mercer changed her father. He wanted to take her and shelter her from this cruel world, retain her innocence; not let her know what pain was; yet he wanted to show her to the world and let everyone know that she was _his_ princess, and nothing could ever change that.

Jessi and Alex decided that moving in together would be a good idea while Riley was still so young, since it would be difficult for her to do everything on her own. Sometimes, he would give Jessi trouble when she needed to feed Riley or bathe her, wanting to do everything whenever he was around. His argument was that he was as capable of taking care of her _and_ working at the same time as any other mother could, which only made Jessi laugh and hand their daughter over. Clearly, he'd forgotten that he only had two arms and most times, it ended up in him calling for Jessi to take the baby girl so he can concentrate.

Eventually, Alex starting going back to work and staying overtime again. Jessi didn't really have a problem with it, except for the fact that he begged her to keep living with him, though there hardly was a reason for it anymore. She wasn't too fond of becoming the sole caretaker of their daughter either, when the purpose of them living together was to share the responsibility.

They began fighting. A lot. Almost everything that they could possibly fight over was brought up; from the simplest peeves to the painful past. Jessi thought that maybe it would be a good idea for them to visit Dana. She was the aunt, after all. Even that turned into a fight.

* * *

"I don't have time." he gave out his typical answer.

"Alex, it's been two years since she left. You haven't seen her since. She's your sister." Jessi reasoned.

"And she's capable of taking care of herself."

"Are you serious?" Jessi asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"You're an asshole." she scoffed.

"Don't talk to me like that." he demanded.

"So you want to just let her stay there on her own, no contact from you at all? She hasn't even seen _your_ daughter. She deserves at least that!"

"I don't have time for this and she stopped talking to me when we broke up."

"You don't have time for anything but your fucking work."

"At least I'm doing something." he scoffed.

Jessi slapped him, "Don't _ever_ speak to me like that again! I'm on leave to take care of the baby that _we_ created."

" _Don't_ hit me!" he said, knocking some stuff off his desk.

"You're an idiot."

"You're testing my patience." he growled out.

"You know, all I ask is for some of your time."

"You do get my time, when I have time to give." he said emotionless.

"I wasn't talking about sex, Alex."

"What more do you want from me?" he asked, unsure of what more he could give her.

"I want your time. I want to sit down and talk to you, watch movies, eat dinners, go out somewhere every now and then, like we used to." she elaborated.

"We aren't dating." he informed her coldly.

"I thought we were in some sort of a relationship now, since we're still fucking and all." she scowled at the thought that she couldn't stand up to his advances when he came home at night.

"I don't have time for those luxuries, princess."

" _This_ is why I didn't want to have anything to do with you again. You're so fucking full of yourself, it's utterly disgusting."

"I worked hard for what I have, alright? _Everything_ you have was handed to you on a fucking silver platter!"

"You know _damn_ well that isn't true! The career _I've_ made for myself is me busting _my_ ass to get where I am today. You have _no_ right treating me like I'm some brat that just happened to fall into the army's hands and what? I'm pretty, so I got far in life?"

"Isn't that it?" he smirked.

"I hate you."

Alex snickered, "No, you don't."

* * *

Jessi took the liberty of visiting Dana on her own, sparing that Alex didn't want to visit her at all. Dana loved Riley. Of course she did, she was her niece. Though she was sad that Alex didn't make it. She hadn't seen him in years. Jessi explained that he was very caught up in his work. They both knew all too well that Alex treasured his occupation and that it was very important that he did what he had to. His world revolved around Riley for a short time, then his work became of utmost importance once again.

"She's so beautiful! Hi!" Dana babied Riley, getting a smile from her.

"Isn't she? She's so perfect." Jessi doted on her baby girl.

"I still can't believe you and Alex have a baby together." Dana admitted as they took a seat on the couch, "I never thought Alex would ever have kids, to be honest. He doesn't seem like the fatherly type. Even more so, you two broke up for fuck's sake...I was _never_ expecting this."

"He's not the fatherly type at all. But Riley just...she had such a huge impact on his life. He'd changed who he was, however brief it was...it was an amazing sight to see." Jessi admitted, a soft smile forming across her lips as she reminisced the short-lived moment.

"You still love him." Dana said in a gentle, yet matter-of-fact like tone.

"What?" Jessi asked, snapping out of her thoughts.

"You still love my brother."

"I...no, no. Absolutely not." she denied, waving her hands around in a surrendering motion.

"Jess, come on! Don't fucking lie to me. You two were going to be _married_. You don't just stop loving someone like that. Furthermore, you have a child to prove it two damn years later."

"Well we were drinking and things kind of got out of hand and—okay, okay..." she stopped making an excuse once she saw the way Dana was calling her out without a spoken word. Jessi sighed, her hands falling down to her lap, "Yes, Dana. I love Alex. I'm absolutely in love with him, I always have been. How could I not be? He's so intelligent, and just...I don't know. No matter how hard I try to stay away from him...I just end up back in his arms. I can't stand him, Dana. You don't know what he did to me the night Riley was conceived...and I'll never tell you, either. It's so pathetic..."

"What Alex did was fucking horrible and stupid as shit. But, he loves you too, Jess. I know he does. I saw how he was when he first met you, and when you two started dating. I saw how he was when that whole engagement fiasco arose, alright? It fucked him up, _hard_. He couldn't study, he got drunk a lot...all he did was stare at that ring he bought you for hours, sometimes fell asleep with it in his hand. He loves you, nothing will ever change that."

_What? The ring...he'd bought it all those years ago? That's impossible, how could he? How would he have even known her ring size back then?_

"It isn't fair." Jessi said gently, "He was supposed to be _mine_. He was mine. He just...I just didn't make him happy enough."

"You can't blame yourself. _He's_ the fuck-tard to blame and you know that."

"I was moving on with my life, I was seeing someone else, we were taking it slow and it was nice. But that damned ring...I just thought it would be good to get rid of it. I gave him the ring and got a fucking child instead."

"But Riley is amazing, Jess! She's so beautiful and she belongs to _you and Alex_. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yeah...I keep reminding myself that." Jessi said, smiling at looking at her daughter sleeping in Dana's arms. "She's perfect. She was meant to be here. I guess Alex and I were meant to be in each others' lives in some way..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING: This chapter contains SPOILERS from the [PROTOTYPE] game.

Upon her return, Jessi moved back to the lake house with Riley and Sparkle, establishing a schedule for Alex to spend time with his child. She arranged for Griffon and Kane to watch her while she got back to work. Everything fell into place perfectly.

She decided to try and work out her relationship with Cross and he was hesitant, but agreed on the circumstances that this was the _last_ chance she would receive from him. He was a strong man and the Captain of the _Blackwatch Wisemen Team_ , but he was still a man; a human being and like every person, his heart could only take so much heartbreak. But how could he deny her if she repeated her history? The woman he'd loved for so many years, adored from a distance and left to dream of what could have been until her feelings were finally reciprocated.

They picked up where they left off and it seemed as if a relationship would finally work between them. They were still taking it slow and couldn't let anyone at work know that they were seeing each other after-hours. Everybody suspected something, though. They tried to hide it as best as they could, but nobody could miss the way he looked at her or the way she blushed in return upon eyes meeting.

* * *

_**2008...** _

When Cross saw that the chances of Jessi staying with him for good this time were increasing, he arranged a beautiful vacation-weekend for him and his girlfriend at a lakeside cottage while Alex had Riley. With so much that she'd been through, he knew she could use the time to just get away from all of the mayhem.

Every night, he treated her to a beautiful dance to music with a glass of champagne after dinner. He was a true gentleman and it was these little things that made her fall more in love with him with each passing day. It was a love she didn't know could exist until she finally decided to put her all into what she could have with the man who had never let her down.

"I need to know that it's going to be me from now on, Jess..." Cross admitted to her as they danced to soft music in the dim, candlelit living room of the cottage.

"Robert..." she started, startling him with the fact that she had never called him by his first name out of bed before, "You've taught me that I'm more than subjecting myself to the unnecessary cruelty that Alex has to offer. You've taught me that there can be a love pure enough to last for so many years, even if it was seemingly on one part..." she confessed, "I want it to be us. I _need_ it to be us from now on." she eased his worry.

"Good..." he smiled, leaning in and planting a soft and loving kiss on her lips as he got down on one knee.

Jessi's eyes widened, hands moving to her mouth as he pulled the undoubtedly familiar box from his pocket, opening it to reveal the same ring she had worn on her finger for so many months.

"C-Cross..." she stuttered out.

"You know that I will always love you...I need you to be mine; for real, this time..." he started, watching as tears began to gently fall from her eyes, "Jessi-Lynn Adams, will you grant me the honour of being the man to love you for the rest of our lives?" he asked her.

She sucked in a breath, staring at the gorgeous ring once more. The last time she'd seen it, she wanted nothing to do with the piece of jewellery. She wanted him to put it away and forget that it had ever happened. She thought of how different the two situations were, but the same ring had part in both moments. How the years had passed by and she'd completely forgotten about the ring. She thought he probably sold it off to get some money out of it. Then again, it was Robert Cross. He was too much of a sentimental man to discard such an item that held such an important memory to him.

She knew that now. He was always the one looking out for her. He was always watching her through those years, even when her eyes were elsewhere. It was time that she gave that love and care back to the man who truly deserved it.

"Y-yes...without question, Robert...yes..." she whimpered, trying to refrain from letting herself submerge in her emotions.

He slipped the ring on to her finger and stood up, kissing her forehead softly with his arms wrapped around her, "Don't cry...I hate seeing you cry..."

"I'm crying because you are just..." she said through her tears, "You are the most amazing man I've ever known, Robert Cross..." she sucked in her breath from crying, "and I'm the one that gets to be your wife..." she continued, stopping to catch her breath, "I love you. I love you so much!" she finished, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

It was a beautiful end to a much needed getaway.

* * *

Jessi was assigned to eliminate a couple of Doctors working at Gentek, which wasn't a problem for her. As cold as it seemed, they were just people caught up in the midst of a biological war. They were deemed liabilities and that couldn't stand for the progression of Gentek and Blackwatch. This was her job, she did whatever she was told; she didn't have any other choice. Her team was trained and developed to suit her skills. That's how the _Stealth Team_ was formed. Cross had control over the _Wisemen Team._ He was the brute strength, the last line of defense. The two teams together was, indefinitely, a force to be reckoned with.

By August _,_ Jessi and her team had eliminated four people. She wasn't aware of how many more she would have to take out, but this was her job. It didn't matter how many more there were, all that mattered what that it was done right.

* * *

"W-what?" she looked at Randall as if she had just been electrocuted.

"That's an _order_ , Captain."

"Sir."

"Here's the complete list," he said, handing her a file folder. She took it and held it behind her back as she stood at attention before the General. "All scientists associated with the _Blacklight Project_ at Gentek and, as I said, most importantly Doctor Alexander J. Mercer, are to be eliminated. He is the key component of this operation and is the biggest liability. _"_

"Yes, Sir. But, with all due respect, what has Mercer done in order to become such a burden to Blackwatch and Gentek? Has he not increased the strength of the strain by almost tenfold?" she asked.

"You never questioned my orders with the others, why him?"

"I'm just curious, Sir. I apologize, it's not my place to question your orders."

"Get it done, Captain. You're my best hitman."

Jessi saluted the General and walked out, heading straight to Cross. By the time she got to him, she was breathless from a build-up of anxiety and countless mixed emotions, clenching her stomach in pain. She had been having pains in her lower torso for about a week but refused to see the doctor no matter what her fiancé said in his attempts to get her to cooperate.

"Babe? What's wrong?" he asked, holding her shoulders in an attempt to calm his fiancée down.

"Them. These _people_. I...I can't."

"You can't what? Is it the pain?" he asked in concern.

"The eliminations. The scientists. I've been taking out Alex's team this whole time and they want me to take out the remainder of them. Most importantly, Alex himself." she huffed out quickly.

"What?" he asked. He had caught what she said, but it was the reaction of her speaking so rapidly.

"I can't do it."

"I will, then. I've wanted to kill him a long time ago anyway." he gave a short chuckle through his sentence.

" _No!_ " she snapped. "Don't touch him." she ordered, standing straight finally.

"He has to be eliminated."

"I can't and I won't let anyone else take him from Riley!" she sneered through clenched teeth.

"So you're going to defy orders?" Cross asked with an eyebrow perked up in curiousity.

"He's the father of my daughter. Do they know that? He's her father, he's still an important part of my life, for her sake."

"Jess...Riley will still grow up into a beautiful, intelligent woman—with or without him." he reminded her.

"This is _not_ up for discussion." she ordered, storming out of his office.

* * *

Alex was becoming increasingly suspicious of the purpose of his work. He wasn't blind to the disappearances of his colleagues. Furthermore, the majority of animal test subjects showed deadly effects. This wasn't curing them, it was _killing_ them. He needed to know more. He tried to voice his concerns to his colleagues, but none of them really listened to him well enough nor showed any care to help. Their concern was almost non-existent, coming to the conclusion as it's part of testing; to see what helps and what doesn't. He needed to know where these samples originated from and what the _true_ purpose of this project was. He needed Dana. She returned a couple months ago to continue her education in New York. She would know where to look at what to find.

It was an extremely contagious agent that could replicate the cells of its host: any living organism. Once infected, it re-purposes and changes the cell,. Most of these changes resulted in a 99.99% mortality rate due to the changes being too drastic, causing massive organ failure and cell saturation; which Alex knew of all too well. Despite being the head scientist that synthesized this virus, Alex himself didn't even know its full capabilities.

They called it the _Blacklight_ _Virus, code named 'DX-1118 C'_. It was a project that originally started as the _Redlight Virus_ , code named " _DX-1118 A_ " in _1964_ by a military organization called _Blackwatch_. They went to Hope, Idaho where they conducted experiments on the town made up of military families. _Carnival I_ and _Carnival II_ is what they called the experiments. By the third day, about seventy percent of the population had been infected. It had a 99.9% mortality rate. They knew they messed up. But, they continued nonetheless.

Then there was a young girl named Elizabeth Greene. The _Redlight Virus_ found a perfect host in her and she became the ultimate experiment. The virus changed her to the very core. She had no signs of aging whatsoever and her body was producing new viral strains on a daily basis. She was transferred to Fort Detrick in _1969,_ and transferred again to Governor's Island Medical Station in _1978._

In _1989_ , Dr. Raymond McMullen founded Gentek and requested to study Elizabeth Greene. She was then transferred to the Gentek facility, where she now resided as an experiment on _Floor 51._ Samples of her blood were taken, which is where Alex's specimens were coming from. They were coming from a girl infected with this virus back in Hope, Idaho all those years ago. She was still a nineteen-year-old whose sole purpose was now to have samples taken from her, examined, and turned into various strains of this virus.

This is where Alex came in. He and his team synthesized that virus. He increased the potency, making it extremely volatile. He turned it into the powerful component it was today. It was never meant to cure anything. It was meant to destroy everything. He created the _Blacklight_ _Virus_.

And now his team was being picked off one-by-one. It would be his turn soon. He had to run, he had to get away before they took his life from him, too. A Blackwatch team was going to purge the entire group of scientists, him being at the top of the list. A team led by none other than the beautiful _Second Captain Jessi-Lynn Adams, Leader_ _of the Blackwatch Stealth Team._

* * *

"Alright, Riley's napping and this place is a mess. Care to help me?" Jessi asked Sparkle, petting the fluffy dog.

The doorbell rung and she hurried to answer, Sparkle following.

"Alex? What are you doing here?" Jessi said upon opening the door, Sparkle sniffing his pants.

"So, when were you planning to do it?" he asked hotly, pushing himself through into the house.

"What?" she asked, turning around to look at him as he walked into the living room.

"I know what you do. I know everything."

"Alex—"

"I know you were ordered to take me out, like you took out the others."

"Are you dead, though?"

"Not yet."

"No, you aren't dead and you weren't going to die, either. I can't do it."

"Why not?" he asked, stepping right up to her angrily, "Can't put a bullet between my eyes, too?" he asked, pointing to his forehead as he looked down into her green eyes.

"As much as I would love to, no. You're Riley's father."

"So what if I am? I'm sure you'd rather raise her with that Cross." he breathed.

"Of course not, you ignorant fool. I wanted to raise her with you, but you just pushed me aside again like you always did."

"Would you have rather me give up my work to take you out for dinner?" he sneered.

"Oh, don't even try that horseshit with me, Alex. You took the damn time to take me for a night on the town and take me to movies for a good while after you started working at Gentek. I know for a fact you did the same with that fucking whore, because that's what you do. You take a woman out once in a while to keep her from fucking complaining. You do what you can to keep her contented so she doesn't become aware of the fact that you just want her God damn pussy! You do everything to please _you_ and nobody else! I know you, I was going to be your wife. I watched you, observed you. I picked up on your damn patterns. But I didn't say anything simply because I _love_ you. Regardless of what a stuck up prick you are, I love you, Alex. I always have, that will never change and you know that. I'm honestly so fucking happy that we ended, because putting up with your constant bullshit, you would've probably been dead the same damn day I got the fucking order to shoot your dumb ass!"

He was speechless for a moment, watching her as she hyperventilated. In all of the years he'd gotten away with whatever it was that he did, he'd never heard her or seen her like this before. He could almost feel the heat of her rage from where he stood. He wasn't expecting _that_ sort of reaction at all. He couldn't help but smirk, "Alright, I get it." he said, looking around the room before his eyes returned to her.

Tears were running down her face, "I didn't seem interested in your work because I knew it was a lie. I knew you wouldn't be aware of it, but I work for Blackwatch. I _knew_ there was more to it, that there was something so sinister behind the _Blacklight_ Project. I wasn't one of the leaders back then, so I didn't have the clearance to access that sort of sensitive information. I'm sorry for that...I just wanted to make sure you were safe...and I lost you in the process."

"Jess—"

"Leave, please." she almost whispered, turning away.

He wanted to reach out and embrace her, but decided not to in fear that he would get a fist to the face or something of the sort. So, he did as asked.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING: This chapter contains SPOILERS from the [PROTOTYPE] game.

Jessi couldn't get a hold of Alex since the confrontation just a few days ago and she was getting increasingly worried, especially when he didn't show up to get Riley for the weekend. Was he just ignoring her? Or did they get to him first? She was given the task, they shouldn't be taking matters into their own hands. They knew she was capable. She'd been taking them out one by one—a simple, dark alley and a bullet between the eyes while other Blackwatch personnel cleared the scene. She was "leaving Alex for last". But then again, it had been months since she'd received the task...and he was the one they were really after...they could very well know that her intentions weren't to kill him at all. Had Cross sold her out? He would never turn his back on her. She was his fiancée. To betray her in such a manner was like a silent way of asking to be completely cut out of her life. Then again, he could have had it with her nonsense of keeping such a cold, cruel man in her life for the sake of her daughter.

She had to get a hold of him somehow. She called Dana, glad that the young woman didn't hold any grudge against her. She knew that Jessi would never do such a thing to Alex, but admitted to still being shocked upon seeing her name listed as a Blackwatch Captain. More importantly, Dana hadn't heard anything from her brother in a couple of days either. She only received his laptop in a package and that alone was enough to cause even more worry to the two of them. Dana informed Jessi that she would keep the laptop safe; that he perhaps just sent it to her so that he didn't have to be seen near her or something of the sort—a simple thought that both of them knew was far from the truth, but Jessi couldn't take away the comfort that Dana held in those thoughts, so she let her be.

Something was off...something was very, very _wrong_. She could feel it deep within her, the way a sickness creeps up before you get the final blow to recover from. The way you feel a sinister phenomenon, lurking in the shadows, brushing past you before making itself truly known—like horror movies.

He knew that she was ordered to execute him...but, did he know about the purpose of his work? She knew he would expose them if he did—at least do his best to—and that would destroy her occupation, too. That would bring the world they knew crashing down. He had to have known. Alex disappeared. Nobody could contact him...he had to have known.

She was hoping he'd return her efforts of contact, but he didn't. His phone was off. There was no word from him. She wanted to call Cross, but didn't want him to think anything of it. She would just have to wait and keep trying to get in touch with him.

* * *

_**The Next Day...** _

Upon hearing a knock on the door, Jessi looked through the peephole to see none other than Alex standing in front of her door. She opened it up immediately.

"Where have you been?!" she asked him, giving him a hug. "I've been so worried about you. I tried calling you, but your phone was off." she admitted as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. She pulled away, looking into his eyes. They seemed void, like he wasn't there with his body, "Alex?" she called to him.

He wasn't speaking, he just kept looking at her. He didn't look well at all; as if he hadn't slept in days. "Alex, what's wrong?"

"Jess...where's Riley?"

"She's in her room. Alex, what's going on?" she asked again, but he gave no answer. This wasn't like him at all. He knew something and she wanted to know what it was.

She went to Riley's room to see him staring at her as she slept, his fingers dancing lightly on the sleeping toddler's cheek.

"You can pick her up, you don't have to worry about waking her..." Jessi informed him.

He did so and cradled her in his arms, "She's growing up so fast." he said quietly, still being careful not to wake his sleeping daughter.

"She is." Jessi smiled, walking up to Alex and watching her daughter as she slept in her father's arms. He loved her so much and Jessi loved them both immensely—admittedly, she loved Alex more than he deserved, considering all the wrong that he'd done to her. She smoothed down the hair on Riley's head.

Alex kissed her small face over and over again, "I love you so much, baby girl." he whispered to her before he put her back down in her crib, tears running from his eyes.

Jessi was moved to see tears coming from the eyes of a man who carried little feeling for anything. Something was terribly wrong with him, and he wouldn't say a word to her. He wiped his eyes and headed to the front door. Jessi followed behind him slowly, watching and observing his every move. He was acting like a completely different person. He was acting like a _person_ ; not the usual, apathetic Alex Mercer that everyone knew him to be.

He opened the front door, turning around to see her standing right behind him. He gazed into her eyes, putting a hand on her face and the other around her waist, moving her gently to the wall and pushing her against it as he pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her slowly, carefully, deeply and with more passion than he could possibly ever have before. All of the feelings he harboured for Jessi; all the "I love you's" and "I'm sorry's" he still had left to say, were hidden in that kiss, and she felt it all.

She wrapped her arms around him and held on to him tightly, not wanting this moment to ever stop. She wanted to take the feelings she had in this moment and bottle them up, so she could keep it for eternity. It was an Alex from long ago, the Alex she fell in love with from so young—the Alex she was going to marry. A part of her wanted to feel guilty for having such thoughts and emotions for someone who wasn't her fiancé. The other part of her wanted to keep the moment, the fond memory of what once was, here in the future with her now.

"No matter what happens, know that I love you, Jess...I always have. I never meant for us to be like this..." he whispered after the kiss was broken, tears running down his face as his eyes pierced into her soul.

"I love you more than words could express, Alex..." she cried softly, hand to her face in an attempt to control her cry.

He left.

She didn't want him to leave. She wanted him to stay and hold her in his arms forever. But she let him go, watching him as he walked down the property to his car and took off. He was gone...

* * *

_**That Evening...** _

"Hello?" Jessi answered her phone.

"Jessi." Cross replied on the other end. Odd that he didn't say anything else.

"Hey, babe." she replied, trying to sound happy. She had spent the majority of her time reveled in the kiss that she and Alex had shared just mere hours ago. Was it wrong to feel the way she had? Her heart being torn between two men; one of the past, one of the future...but both in her present.

"Can I come over?" he asked, the tone in his voice bearing no emotion.

"Of course." she replied, snapping herself out of her thoughts, "How long will you be?" she asked.

"About ten to fifteen minutes."

"Alright, I'll make coffee."

There was a knock on the door and Jessi opened it to let Cross in. Riley saw him and tried to stand up in her play-pen. He went over to her, picking her up.

"You're getting so big."

"Well, she's growing up...a bit too fast for my liking." Jessi smiled, adamant to not let the man know what was going through her mind.

"Well, her head is for sure." he laughed and looked at Jessi, who was smiling and chuckling a little bit; which was all he wanted to see. He then looked at the little girl, "I'm just joking, Riley." he said, giving her a peck on the forehead before putting her back down in her play-pen.

"So, Jessi…" he started, accepting the cup of coffee she brought to him.

"Yeah?" she answered as she picked up some of Riley's toys.

"Did Alex come by today?" Cross asked rather quickly.

She went a bit wide-eyed for a moment before answering, grateful that he couldn't see her expression. She wasn't expecting that at all. She turned to look at him, "Yes…why?"

"What did he say?"

"He wanted to see Riley." Jessi said simply, picking up her coffee and taking a sip.

"And?" Cross urged her to continue if there was anything else.

"He was acting _very_ strange." she explained as she relived the moment

"Anything else?"

"He told me that he never—why are you asking me these questions?" she asked with knitted eyebrows, wanting him to cut to the chase.

"Sit down, Jess." he said gently.

"Why?"

"Just sit..." he said once more.

She sat down on the edge of the couch, looking at him to continue.

"Jessi..." he began, taking a deep breath and she continued looking at her fiancé as he stayed silent for a few seconds, "Alex is dead..."

She dropped her cup of coffee, the sound of the mug shattering on the hardwood floor unable to reach her ears, "...w-what?" she asked softly, her voice cracking.

"I'm so sorry..."

"No, no, no, no, no..." she said repeatedly. "He can't be! You're wrong!"

"Jess..."

"No..." she whispered and broke down into tears, holding her face in her hands. "H-how?"

"He was shot down."

"By who?"

"Jess..."

"Answer me, damn it! By who?!" she demanded.

"...Blackwatch, of course." he muttered.

"You fuckers! You fucking monsters! How could you?! What was the reason for shooting him?! I was responsible for his elimination!"

"You and I both know you weren't going to kill him." he brought to her attention, "He was trying to leave the city. He stole a vial of the virus in Quarantine at Gentek. He was cornered at Penn Station and he smashed the vial. He released the virus onto the island, Jess."

"No, he wouldn't. Riley...he just wouldn't." she denied the words he spoke.

"But he _did_. They're transferring his body for autopsy as we speak."

"Where is he being taken?"

"The Gentek Facility."

"Stay here." she ordered, getting up to leave.

Cross grabbed her wrist, keeping her from moving any further, "Jessi, no. You need to calm down and assess the situation, you have a daughter to take care of. They're going to want to question you because of your relations with him."

"They'll kill me! They'll fucking kill me! What would happen to Riley if I died?! I can't die...I don't...Alex is..." she trailed off as her thoughts returned to the news she'd just received.

"I'm sorry, babe. I'm so sorry…I wish there was something I could do to better the situation."

"It _can't_ get better! It's only going to get worse! My child is fatherless! This can't be happening…this is _not_ happening!" she cried out.

"I'm sorry, Jess..." he wrapped his arm around her tightly, kissing her forehead in hopes to comfort her.

"Mumum!" Riley spoke up. Jessi walked over to the pen, picking up her daughter. She stayed looking at her for a few moments before she burst into tears, embracing the little girl.

Cross stayed to help her watch Riley, tending to the toddler and her mother as she stayed up, walking around the home with most of the lights off. She wouldn't speak to him, just stayed silent.

Eventually, they went to lie down. She cried into his arms, holding her stomach. Heart-wrenching screams pierced through him and he cried for her pain as he embraced her. Alex was dead and a huge part of her died with him, never again to return. She would be forever broken...


End file.
